Sebastian Vettel edges out Ferraris to claim Bahrain grand prix pole

It is the sixth pole of Sebastian Vettel's career. Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

The prospects for a dramatic opening to the grand prix season in Bahrain were increased today when the leading Formula One drivers proved incapable of ignoring their basic instincts. Nine of the fastest 10 chose to use tyres that would give maximum performance for one lap of qualifying, but at the expense of running into serious tyre trouble during tomorrow's 49-lap race.

The 10 drivers making it to the final shoot-out for pole position had to choose either a hard or a soft compound tyre in the knowledge that the same tyre must be fitted for the start of tomorrow's encounter on the Sakhir circuit. Sebastian Vettel set the trend by using the soft option to help put his Red Bull on pole, a tenth of a second in front of the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. These three were comfortably ahead of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren and the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg. Michael Schumacher will make his comeback by starting his Mercedes from seventh and sharing the fourth row of the grid with Jenson Button's McLaren.

The Schumacher story took second billing in every sense as the 41-year-old proved slower than Rosberg throughout the two days of practice, not to mention being 1.5 seconds behind the 22-year-old German on pole. Shunting the seven-time world champion further away from the headlines, Vettel assisted Schumacher's former Ferrari team-mate, Massa, into the limelight through generous praise during the pole-position winner's press conference. Referring to Massa's return after a serious head injury suffered during qualifying the Hungarian Grand Prix had eliminated the Brazilian from the second half of the 2009 season, Vettel said: "I'm sure I'm speaking on behalf of all the drivers to give respect to Felipe and what he has achieved. It's good to have him back."

Massa responded: "It's just fantastic to hear that and to know we're here to compete and race against each other, but to have a good relationship with respect."

Respect will be put to the test when the red lights go out at midday GMT tomorrow and 24 drivers race into the unknown, particularly the first nine, as they desperately try to avoid abusing their soft tyres when braking for the tight first corner and then coping with a car weighed down with enough fuel for the 192‑mile race. The difference between this and how the cars felt when qualifying on near-empty tanks today will be like moving from a Mini to a limo, with the added complication of cold brakes and tyres.

With refuelling no longer determining exactly when the drivers make their pit stops, the decision will depend on how soon the soft tyres lose their performance. Given ambient temperatures nudging 35C, that moment could come after a handful of laps. In which case, Adrian Sutil, the only top-10 qualifier to choose the harder tyre, could be in good shape as the Force India driver runs until near the end of the race before making his mandatory stop, by which time more rubber on the track will make it kinder to the softer tyres.

"We just don't know what is going to happen," Vettel said. "It's a very difficult situation to be in. In the past, the race was more of a sprint event, but now the challenge is not attacking every lap. It will be a case of listening to the car, feeling the tyres, the brakes, trying to read them while trying to understand the race. There's a lot of things to learn and we'll be depending on information from the pit wall."

Hamilton's final radio message today, telling him he was fourth fastest, surprised the 2008 world champion.

"When qualifying began, I had no idea where we were going to end up," Hamilton said. "It was so tight out there, but we didn't have the pace of the Red Bulls or the Ferraris. We're just not quick enough at the moment and to come across the line and hear the guys say I was fourth, really was a relief. I expected to be further back. Given the way we are, that's a great starting point. But managing the tyres in the race is going to be a killer. It's unbelievable how fast they drop off (in performance). We'll just take it one step at a time from the start."

Hamilton was assisted on to the second row by a disappointing performance from Mark Webber in the second Red Bull. "I did my worst lap at the most important time today," Webber said. "It was going well until Turn 16 (of 23), but it wasn't so good from there on. There was more in the car and it's disappointing. But Seb did a good job. All is not lost because it's a long race."

Schumacher, one of just two drivers to have raced F1 cars prior to the introduction of refuelling in 1994, will use his vast experience to deal with the dramatically changing conditions tomorrow.

"I'm satisfied with seventh place, having been away from F1 for such a long time," Schumacher said. "It was fun to work with my new team and I appreciate all their efforts to support me as I get back into the swing of things. We have improved step-by-step over the weekend."

Schumacher noted that he had also started his first grand prix in 1991 from seventh place. He must hope the similarity ends there because his debut lasted no further than the second corner.